Monolithic Machines

Originally created for the LED façade of the School of Digital Arts (SODA) in Manchester, the series examines the intricate interplay of interconnected systems that appear as a unified whole at first glance. Drawing from the dual nature of digital screens, Monolithic Machines parallels the SODA façade with the vertical displays that define today’s visual environment — from smartphones to billboards and rotated televisions used as art displays. When these screens fall silent, they reveal their true presence as monolithic objects, echoing the enigmatic slab from Arthur C. Clarke’s mythology of technology.

Beneath this apparent simplicity lies a dense labyrinth of machinery, built through frame-by-frame pixel animation that merges mechanical precision with digital aesthetics. The work depicts an endless industrial process — black and white boxes circulating through complex contraptions, shifting form without producing material output. Through this repetition, the machinery transcends utility, turning motion itself into subject and transforming every screen, regardless of scale, into a monolithic surface.

Components expands this idea by deconstructing and recomposing the mechanical forms from The Monolith into new abstract animations. Each piece isolates a different mechanism, reshaping it into an independent structure that explores rhythm, geometry, and transformation.